The Lifestyles Of Emily Villanueva

July 11, 2007
Firouzeh Baghchehsarai

Caught up between her two worlds, the Philippines and the United States, Emily Villanueva strives to attach her culture and homeland to a part of what she is. Emily wants to learn the exotic Philippine language Tagalog. She wants that connection with the people at family parties so that she can finally understand what the big news is.

Since a young age, Emily has had a lot of respect for both of her parents. Her father was in the navy, a man who cared for his family, but couldn’t always be there because of his traveling job. Her mother is a mechanical engineer at the local naval base here in San Diego. Together, they have had three children, Emily being the oldest, followed by John and Christine. At the age of six, Emily lost her father to a frightful fight to cancer. Her mother staying strong for her, now, family of four. As Emily quoted, ”Kindergarten to second grade is now all a blur to me,”. After the death of her father, her family moved to an area that Emily herself couldn’t even handle.

Nine years later and Emily looks forward to life day by day. With a smile on her face, her ambition in life is simply happiness. Going to Coronado High School, she looks forward to English everyday, journalism being her passion. After attending a Catholic school from Kindergarten to eighth grade, going to a public school was all new to her. “ These last few years have been a huge difference with school and all”, she said. During so, Emily had the chance of a lifetime to intern at a local magazine agency and published two articles while doing so. But finally its senior year for Emily and she continues to work hard and achieve high goals for her last year in high school, for soon after, she is college bound.

She dreams of graduating from Stanford and from them working for a magazine agency, or even taking up photography. Hopefully from one of these jobs she will have the opportunity to travel the world, particularly Europe. From there, she considers moving to the east coast for a few years. As she said, ”I feel that journalism will widen my horizons and me a more knowledgeable person”.
At the age of 16, Emily blends in just like every other teenage girl with hobbies, goals, and education. She watches reruns of Gilmore Girls, loves Mexican food, sunflowers, shopping, music, and is currently trying to learn how to play the drums, along with these come stress with school, friends, boys, and more. “ I’m not confrontational at all, I’d rather be cool with everyone”, she said. As the interview came to an end she told me, “I want to just voice what I’m feeling and what’s right”.